Top 5/10 Films of the 1970ish

Dungeon Keeper Number of posts : 7943 Points : 1780

Ooooh.

So I'm doing 'The New Hollywood' as a module this year and that pretty much means anything made from Bonnie & Clyde (1967) to Heaven's Gate (1981) which means there is a wealth of old skool cinema I want to brush up on; something my recent film reviews show I've already launched into...

Spoiler:

O Goncho wrote:: I've been watching a lot of films the last few days. Mostly ones that are somehow relevant to my uni course.

Easy Rider -
I've been reading a lot about this film the last few days for my uni course and I'm glad I made the leap and decided to track it down because even now it crackles with a raw sort of energy. The soundtrack is still awesome, and the loose, cool structure does nothing to detract from the flow of the story, but above all it's the genuinely fantastic performances of Hopper, Fonda, and Nicholson that I was most delighted to discover; Nicholson, especially stood out, making a role he was never meant to play completely his.

Heaven's Gate -
That's right, I sat through this monster, and having managed to survive it I have two verdicts. One, from the point of view of someone studying the New Hollywood period of film making found this to be an insightful and enlightening look into the downfall of that 'era'. The other verdict, from the point of view of someone who sat all the way through Heaven's Gate is simple: do not sit through Heaven's Gate. It'll change you, man.

Srsly though, it's astonishingly self-indulgent. This film cost about $40,000,000 to make which believe me is all there on screen, it's incredibley lavish and sweeping... but despite that it is seriously ugly to watch, and that is not specific to the lighting. The characters, the plot, the direction, everything is incredibley flat and uninvolving in Heaven's Gate. It's an 'epic' made up of one unmemorable scene after another which made it a real chore to sit through. The vast majority of the film's 228 minute run time consists of people walking somewhere or dancing (there's one 20 minute sequence where everyone dances on rollerskates whilst Jeff Bridges plays fiddle and vomits - no, really.) Occasionally Christopher Walken shows up to shoot someone which is pretty cool, and sometimes Isabelle Huppert gets her bum out which is a nice distraction but ultimately it's just not enough to recommend/inflict this swollen, unsucessful monster of a film on an unsuspecting viewer/victim.

So, unless you're really interested in the decline of the New Hollywood (really REALLY interested), give this one a miss by a wide, wide berth. You'll probably not thank me, but those of you who ignore me will wish you'd listened.

Slap Shot -
Paul Newman shines as a past-it coach with nothing to lose in what is definitely the funniest, darkest, and most brilliantly subversive underdog sports movie spoof I've ever seen... not that I've sat through many but trust me this is a great film built on funny, foul-mouthed characters + sharp satire and an wful lot of brutal, hilarious violence. Awesome.

Rosemary's Baby -
Exactly the sort of Horror film I can enjoy, one which evokes fear through atomosphere and builds its scares on paranoia and suspense rather than cheap throwaway zomg-he's-at-the-window-o-lawd moments.

That said, there's some seriously trippy stuff in here, the stand-out being Rosemary's involuntarily drug-induced shagathon with the Devil himself. Brilliant.

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls -
Not as revealling or in-depth as the book, but certainly an enlightening exploration of the same subject.

Anyway, cinema snobs and movie buffs, please commence thinly-veiled recommendations posing as Top 5s.

Right Hand of Doom Number of posts : 3412 Points : 1184

A Bridge Too Far
The Deer Hunter
Star Wars
Serpico
Bullitt (1968)

Dungeon Keeper Number of posts : 7943 Points : 1780

I just bought Serpico as part of a three in one collection DVD with Chinatown and the Untouchables... I then had it sent to Watford (Hor's house) by accident. I won't be able to get it until after Christmas now. Sad

Right Hand of Doom Number of posts : 3412 Points : 1184

Its a great film, though it wasn't quite what I expected when I first saw it. I was expecting more action for some reason.

Dungeon Keeper Number of posts : 7943 Points : 1780

Well I bought it to get the other two films so I have zero expectations for it. Maybe even slightly less than zero - I'm not a big Pacino fan.

Right Hand of Doom Number of posts : 3412 Points : 1184

It is very good; quite interesting and has a very cool dog in it, rather like the Dulux dog.

Gozer ¬_¬ Number of posts : 4943 Age : 56 Points : -131

mrblackbat wrote:: It is very good; quite interesting and has a very cool dog in it, rather like the Dulux dog.

Digby?

Dungeon Keeper Number of posts : 7943 Points : 1780

Seeing someone else chew the scenery besides Pacino, that can't be a bad thing. Surely he's not cooler than Mad Max's dog, though?

...this thread is now also the Top 5 Movie Dogs thread.

Flower Girl Number of posts : 692 Age : 36 Points : 47

I'm not as old as you all

I don't know any 70's films besides Grease, The Warriors, and Amityville Horror

Dungeon Keeper Number of posts : 7943 Points : 1780

Resurrection_Tokyo wrote:: I'm not as old as you all

I don't know any 70's films besides Grease, The Warriors, and Amityville Horror

1. Two films more and you've made an actual contribution.
2. I'm 20. Fuck you.

Right Hand of Doom Number of posts : 3412 Points : 1184

Resurrection_Tokyo wrote:: I'm not as old as you all

I don't know any 70's films besides Grease, The Warriors, and Amityville Horror

Age has nothing to do with watching classic films.

Dungeon Keeper Number of posts : 7943 Points : 1780

mrblackbat wrote:

Resurrection_Tokyo wrote:: I'm not as old as you all

I don't know any 70's films besides Grease, The Warriors, and Amityville Horror

Age has nothing to do with watching classic films.

But everything to do with increasing the odds of being born a retarded Yankie/guy from Toxteth posing as a retarded Yankie.

Right Hand of Doom Number of posts : 3220 Points : 1002

The greatest films from any decade weren't made in Hollywood.

Dungeon Keeper Number of posts : 7943 Points : 1780

Fuckpencil wrote:: The greatest films from any decade weren't made in Hollywood.

Debatable. Make some lists, Fuckface.

Gozer ¬_¬ Number of posts : 4943 Age : 56 Points : -131

Get Carter; The Godfather; Star Wars; Straw Dogs; Taxi Driver; Enter The Dragon; The French Connection; One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest; Monty Python's Life of Brian; A Clockwork Orange.